Who we are

Our mission is to promote a greater public engagement with Antarctica, through heritage conservation, storytelling and effective advocacy.

Through the care and conservation of six designated historic sites and monuments on the Antarctic Peninsula, we aim to engage, inform and inspire current and future generations with Antarctica’s heritage. We deliver and support a range of innovative public programmes to engage and inspire people of all ages with 250 years of British human endeavour in Antarctica.

Meet our Patrons, Trustees and Team

HRH The Princess Royal Patron

Since our foundation as a trust, we have benefitted from exceptional support from our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal. Her Royal Highness takes a keen interest in our work as well as wider Antarctic matters and has visited the region on more than one occasion, including Port Lockroy in 2007.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes Vice Patron

Undoubtedly one of our greatest living explorers. Sir Ranulph has broken countless world records and led even more expeditions to remote regions all over the world. His Antarctic achievements rival those of Scott and Shackleton and his knowledge of the Polar Regions is probably unrivalled. His biography of Captain Scott is a must-read and his support of our work as a Trust is hugely welcome.

Dr Dafila Scott Vice Patron

Dafila is one of our foremost wildlife artists. Her connection with the Antarctic stems from her grandfather, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, as indeed does her passion for wildlife. In his final letter to his wife Scott asked of his son, Peter, “Make him interested in natural history” - a trait evidently passed down to the next generation. In 2012 Dafila was Artist in Residence for the Scott Polar Research Institute, travelling to Antarctica to capture the wildlife and scenery on canvas.

The Hon. Alexandra Shackleton Vice Patron

Alexandra has been a key figure in Antarctic matters all her life. As Sir Ernest Shackleton’s granddaughter, she has worked tirelessly to share her grandfather’s story and ensure his legacy is passed to new generations. Alexandra is also the President of the James Caird Society and has been patron of several expeditions retracing Shackleton’s expeditions.

John Pye Chair

After the RAF, Air Commodore John Pye spent ten years on the British Antarctic Survey Board – responsible for operations, logistics and corporate services. He became a Trustee of UKAHT in 2009, was Hon Treasurer for three years and was appointed Chair in September 2020. John has been an Independent Member of a Police Authority and a NHS Trust Non-Executive Director. He chairs an audit & governance committee for a mayoral Combined Authority. He is member of the Royal College of Defence Studies, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a BAS Club member. Travel to far flung places is high on his list of interests.

Jane Arthur Vice Chair

Jane has worked in the museums and heritage sector for over 35 years in Birmingham, Stoke on Trent and the West Midlands. She has served on a number of national committees, the Arts Council Accreditation committee and Museums Association Ethics Committee and worked as a Heritage Lottery Fund mentor. She is a freelance museum consultant specialising in strategic development for collections management and care, governance standards and facilitating organisational change. From 2010-16 she was a trustee then Chair of the Birmingham Conservation Trust overseeing the development and opening of the award winning Newman Brothers’ Coffin Fitting Factory. She is fascinated by Antarctica, it’s history and stories of endeavour, science and discovery. She has visited twice and plans to return.

Kim Crosbie Trustee

Kim has been working in the polar regions for over 25 years including, formerly, as the Executive Director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), one of UKAHT’s key stakeholders. Kim started in the polar regions as a post graduate researcher at the Scott Polar Research Institute where she gained an M.Phil in environmental management in the Arctic, before embarking on a PhD that focused on ecological monitoring and management in the Antarctic, spending three austral summer seasons in primitive conditions at a temporary field camp. On completing her PhD Kim remained in the field of visitor management, leading expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic, primarily onboard expedition vessels, supporting groups of students, film makers, authors, artists and other visitors. Subsequently, she worked for IAATO for 12 years working with the Antarctic tour operators to develop a strong framework of visitor management practices and as such was a regular visitor to Port Lockroy.

Selina Fellows Trustee

Selina's professional background is in the cultural and heritage sector. Prior to setting up her own consultancy in 2000 she worked variously for the Royal Academy of Arts, English Heritage, a product design company and the Millennium Dome. Since 2000 she has advised many cultural, museum and gallery clients in the UK, Russia, Europe, Middle East and Asia on their commercial and retail development and how this can be sympathetically and profitably realised to reflect the ethos of the organisation. As well as being a Trustee of UKAHT she is also a non-executive Director of Hepworth Wakefield Enterprises and St Paul's Cathedral Enterprises, and until recently, Fine Cell Work. She has a lifelong interest in explorers and feats of human endurance, particularly in polar regions.

Bob Kidby Trustee

Bob was a City solicitor for over 30 years and Head of Real Estate at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells). Since leaving the law in 2010 he has been a director (executive and non-executive) of a number of commercial and charitable organisations. He currently owns and runs a commercial recording studio in Suffolk and is an Appeal Steward of the British Boxing Board of Control. He has had a strong lifelong interest in the Antarctic and those who have explored it.

Sumit Paul-Choudhury Trustee

Sumit Paul-Choudhury is a writer and consultant specialising in science, technology and the future. Trained as a physicist at Imperial College, he subsequently turned his hand to journalism, spending fifteen years writing about finance and risk. In 2008 he joined New Scientist, becoming where he served as editor-in-chief from 2011-2017 and as the founding creative director for New Scientist Live. His creative studio, Alternity, focuses on unexplored possibilities and he is fascinated by the geographical, cultural and social uniqueness of Antarctica.

Clive Sanders Trustee

Clive started out in the commercial sector working on a range of global sporting events and has since gone on to work in a range of leadership roles spanning fundraising, events, marketing, innovation, sponsorship, operational management across the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Clive was privileged to help deliver the 2012 Olympics, and at Cancer Research UK, led the largest fundraising event series outside the USA. Currently, a Director at Save the Children, Clive leads a number of fundraising, data, and operations departments throughout the UK. He has a keen interest in exploration and the history of human endeavour.

Victoria Snowden Trustee

Victoria has had an interest in Antarctica and its wildlife for several years, which following her own expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula in early 2020 was cemented into a fresh interest in the history of Antarctic exploration. Victoria is a qualified Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and a Partner at Lane Clark & Peacock, a pensions consultancy, advising pension trustees and companies on their long-term pension commitments. She hopes to visit Antarctica again in the future, in particular the UKAHT’s flagship site of Port Lockroy.

Camilla Nichol Chief Executive

Camilla has worked in the museums and heritage sector for 20 years. She read Geology at Edinburgh followed by Museum Studies at Leicester and went on to work with collections as diverse as geology, zoology, scientific and medical instruments, anatomy and pathology, the early oil industry and Scottish football. Previously Head of Collections for Leeds Museums and Galleries, she led the science team at York Museums Trust as Keeper of Geology and whilst at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University she was fortunate to curate the Antarctic rock collections including specimens collected from Elephant Island by the marooned men from Endurance and the first rocks collected from the Antarctic mainland and by Carsten Borchgrevink in 1895. Camilla holds an AMA from the Museums Association, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is a trustee of the Burton Constable Foundation and Chair of the Cromwell Museum Trust.

Heather Barrable Development & Content Officer

Inspired in childhood by her great grandfather’s copy of The Great White South by Herbert Ponting, Heather studied Geology at the University of Leicester followed by Vertebrate Palaeontology at UCL. Diverse roles in both the public and private sectors have seen her organising events, editing magazines and delivering babies! Combining her passion for Antarctica and its powerful stories with her customer service skills, Heather is your point of contact for membership and shop enquiries.

Roddy Bedford Retail Operations

Roddy has over 20 years of experience in the heritage retail sector. She combines creativity with business acumen to maximise profit and develop carefully thought-through and brand-conscious ranges. Roddy is adept at working collaboratively with clients to sensitively realise their commercial potential and delight their customers. Roddy has a keen interest in social history and is fascinated by feats of human endurance and our ability to overcome adversity.

Sarah Blythe Head of Communications and Marketing

Sarah is an experienced senior communications specialist with a background in the charity and third sector. She has led on a variety of projects – both here in the UK and internationally – spanning PR, communications, branding, digital, creative campaign production and editorial. Sarah has a keen interest in the environment and conservation, and is an advocate for animal rights and welfare.

Bridgette Hudson-Farmer Trust & Finance Officer

Bridgette has worked in the charity sector for over six years prior to joining UKAHT and has a long administrative, finance and retail background. Although originally from the South Island of New Zealand she has been settled here in the UK for many years. Outside of work she loves travel, yoga and wild/cold water swimming. Bridgette is your contact for all financial and shop enquiries.

Camilla Johns Head of Development

Camilla is a fundraiser with a background in the arts, heritage and environmental sector. She has worked in development for over a decade, raising funds to support wide-reaching education projects, conservation work and capital appeals across the UK and for organisations including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Holburne Museum and Campaign for National Parks. She has lifelong interest in the world’s remote and wild places. Ask Camilla about how you can become involved in supporting UKAHT.

Lesley Johnston Narrative Designer

After almost a decade working in the engineering and renewables sector Lesley pivoted back to her interests in history and heritage by undertaking a postgraduate degree in Heritage Visualisation with the Glasgow School of Art. Here she developed the skills to digitally document sites and artefacts and develop innovative methods for interacting with both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage culture. More recently, Lesley has been working as a freelance Heritage Visualisation and Photogrammetry Consultant and is excited to have the opportunity to work with the UKAHT team. In her role she will be developing ways to bring aspects of UKAHT’s historical archive into the public sphere and bring its stories to life through immersive and interactive technologies.

Ruth Lee Heritage & Operations Officer

Ruth is passionate about preserving history and loves visiting sites of historical importance. Ruth is currently studying for a Masters in International Heritage Management, an area she feels strongly about. Ruth has volunteered and worked in the heritage sector previously, but also has worked in various other sectors, from finance to facilities management. Ruth is excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the UKAHT team as the Heritage & Operations Officer and supporting their hard work in Antarctica. Ruth is your contact for heritage, conservation and operational questions.

Claudine Maya Head of Finance

Claudine is a qualified accountant (CIMA) with 19 years experience working in the Pharmaceutical Industry. She has a successful track record for leading and motivating teams, as well as delivering key financial projects to plan, including statutory reports, budgets and management accounts. Claudine has a keen interest in the environment.

Sophie Montagne Head of Operations

Sophie runs the Trust's activities in Antarctica and manages the seasonal teams at Port Lockroy. She spent three months in Antarctica in 2017/2018 as part of the British Army's record-breaking Ice Maiden team, the first team of women to ski across Antarctica using muscle power alone. She trained in Arctic Norway with the Royal Marines and the Norwegian Army, learning how to survive, and be comfortable, in a frozen environment. Prior to joining UKAHT, Sophie was the Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, helping to improve politicians' understanding of the polar regions, and has spoken to over 30,000 young people across the UK about Antarctica and exploration. Sophie is an Army Reservist, a military ski instructor and always happiest in the mountains.

Ruth Mullett Head of Buildings and Conservation

Ruth is interested in understanding the historic environment through the stories of those who have lived and worked in it. In her role Ruth seeks to ensure that the heritage sites and buildings in our care are conserved according to their significance and special interest. Ruth has previously worked as a heritage consultant on projects ranging from medieval hall houses to WWII air bases, and from country houses to historic ships. Before entering the historic environment profession, Ruth trained as a medievalist and taught manuscript studies and cultural history at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and Cornell University (USA).

Peter Watson Communications Officer

Peter is a travel writer, photographer and founder of outdoor travel blog Atlas & Boots. His work has been published by The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC Travel, The Independent, Lonely Planet and National Geographic among others. He’s also contributed to several travel books published by DK Eyewitness. A keen trekker and climber he can often be found on the trails of the Greater Ranges. He’s visited over 90 countries, across all seven continents, and is currently focused on climbing the seven summits – the highest mountain on every continent. Four down, three to go…

Andrew Jones Field Operations Manager

AJ delivers UKAHT's field and conservation operations in Antarctica. He ensures they are safe, successful and sustainable. He has over 14 years of experience planning and leading operations all over the world, including over 10 years in the Royal Marines. During his military career, he planned and directed complex logistics operations in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. He also led operations in the Norwegian Arctic, Yemen and Sierra Leone and worked in Libya, the US and Europe. After the Royal Marines, AJ earned a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences and an MA in Development and Emergency Practice. Most recently, AJ was a senior leader in a UK-based technology company where he built their operations from the ground up. For the last 12 years, he’s held a seasonal leadership and management role with Crisis, a UK-based homeless charity. AJ is an avid traveller, a passionate hiker, and a prolific coffee drinker. On his days off he can be found wandering remote locations in all weathers with his long-suffering spaniel, Saffie.

Dickie Hall Head of Operations

Dickie has joined UKAHT as the Head of Operations. He will be administering the Trust’s remote activities across the Antarctic Peninsula and managing the team at Port Lockroy. Dickie is a biologist by training who has moved into project management and deep-field logistics. He has spent many years working and living in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions with the British Antarctic Survey, South Georgia Heritage Trust, and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He has worked on two major, globally important habitat restoration projects: the SGHT eradication of rodents from South Georgia and most recently with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on their mouse eradication on Gough Island in the mid-Atlantic. Dickie loves travelling and being in the wilderness, especially in the mountains and remote places of the world.

Sally Owen Falkland Islands Co-ordinator

Sally qualified as a Dental Surgeon in 1987. A short service commission with the Royal Army Dental Corps allowed her to develop her passion for mountaineering and travel. This started with two years attached to the Royal Navy, including an expedition to Nepal, followed by two years with the British Antarctic Survey, based on RRS Bransfield. During her BAS days, she visited all the British bases, including the HSM's UKAHT cares for today. During this time, Sally fell in love with the Falkland Islands and decided to relocate, finding a dental officer job. However, Antarctica beckoned again, so she set off for Antarctica as the Postmistress at Port Lockroy for the 2007-08 season. Since then, Sally has acted as our local agent in the Falkland Islands and often returns to support the Port Lockroy team as a General Assistant as she did in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Sophie Rowe Collections Management and Conservation Advisor

Sophie is an object conservator with over 20 years of experience working in National and University Museums. She first became excited about Antarctic heritage while working at the Polar Museum in Cambridge, which is home to an amazing collection from Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition, as well as many fascinating objects from more recent Antarctic explorations. Sophie was conservator at the Polar Museum and worked on these collections from 2012-19, in a post sponsored by UKAHT. In 2017 she went to Antarctica for the first time to carry out a full inventory and condition survey of the artefacts at Base Y, on Horseshoe Island, and hugely enjoyed the chance to spend so much time getting to know the hut and it's contents. Sophie returned in 2019-20, visiting Port Lockroy alongside Lizzie Meek.

Jonathan Selby Advisor, ICT and Communications

Jonathan, whose company, Xaxero is listed on our sponsors’ page, provides the know-how and advice, as well as hands on installation, for all our vital communications equipment and software at Port Lockroy. He visits each season to help the team with the satellite communications and ICT on base.

Lucy Bruzzone Base Leader

Lucy has a passion for mountains and snow. As well as spending three months in Svalbard as Chief Scientist on an Arctic expedition, she has climbed Mont Blanc, was snowbound in a hut on the Patagonian icecap and skied across the Hardangervidda plateau in Norway. When not adventuring, Lucy has dedicated her career to protecting the environments she loves. She’s spent the last seven years at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership designing and leading sustainability education programmes for business executives. Prior to CISL Lucy managed field operations for research projects globally. She began her career at the Royal Geographical Society working in the Expedition Advisory Centre and remains a Fellow of the Society. She received her degree in Geography from the University of Edinburgh. She has always wanted to go to Antarctica and is fulfilling a lifetime dream by joining the Port Lockroy team in 2022.

Clare Ballantyne General Assistant, Postmaster

Clare graduated in 2022 with a 1st integrated Master's degree in Earth Sciences. Prior to university, she spent a year travelling and studying in the USA as a Georgia Rotary scholar. Clare has worked as a cleaner and sales assistant, supported an Oxford University Safety Office investigation into fire risk in cathedrals, and catalogued fossils at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. She also worked full-time at Lincoln Coronavirus Regional Test Centre whilst studying remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clare completed an ultramarathon in the Azores and organised a two-week trekking expedition in the Swiss Alps through volunteering in the Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps Army Reserve unit. Having studied polar regions from oceanographic, climate, and glaciological perspectives, this will be her first time in Antarctica. 

Natalie Corbett Shop Manager

Natalie has a background in retail with over a decade of experience, specialising in visual merchandising and display. She has created displays in flagship and international retail spaces, assisting in store openings across the UK and Europe. Natalie started her own small business in 2019, creating handcrafted pet accessories inspired by her three rescue dogs. She now runs the business full time. During the last couple of years, she's discovered a love for long-distance walking and camping adventures, along with her dogs, exploring near her home in the South Downs National Park and further afield. Natalie will be managing the shop at Port Lockroy, and is excited to be able to combine her retail experience with the opportunity for an adventure. This will be her first time in Antarctica.

Mairi Hilton General Assistant, Wildlife Monitor

Mairi is part of the team heading to Port Lockroy for the 22/23 season. She has spent the last four years living in Melbourne, Australia, where she completed a PhD in conservation biology. Prior to her PhD, she graduated with an MA in Geography and a MRes in Ecology and Environmental Biology at Glasgow University. During her studies, Mairi was a member of the Glasgow University Exploration Society, where she took part in wildlife research expeditions to the Peruvian Amazon and Trinidad and Tobago. She has also worked as an ecologist, conducted fieldwork in the Australian Alps, and helped to run a restaurant on the remote Scottish Isle of Barra. Mairi has had a keen interest in glacial environments since studying geography, and has summitted a glaciated mountain in Peru. This will be her first trip to Antarctica.

Jo Bradshaw Field Guide

Jo is an adventurer, expedition leader, outdoor instructor and public speaker. She has climbed six of the seven summits, was the third British woman to reach the true summit of Manaslu (the world’s eighth highest peak) and was the 36th British woman to summit Everest. Jo is currently coordinating the conservation team at Damoy.

Sven Habermann Heritage Carpenter, Damoy

Sven has worked in heritage conservation for 20 years, specialising in wooden objects and historic interiors. Recent projects include conserving the deck cabin of the Quest in which Sir Ernest Shackleton died in 1922. Born in Germany, he claims to be “the only Sven in Ireland” and lives with his young family in Connemara.

Martin Herrmann Heritage Carpenter, Damoy

Born in Germany, but living in Norway, Martin has worked on historic huts in Svalbard, and at the Røros Mining Museum – reputedly the coldest place in Norway. He was a member of the Røde Kors (Red Cross) avalanche group in Svalbard, and the Redningsselskapet (Sea Rescue Society) in Røros.

Alette Kattenberg General Assistant

From a very young age Alette wanted to become an archaeologist. She studied archaeology, followed by archaeological geophysics, and now works offshore in the renewable industry. Originally from The Netherlands, she fell in love with Orkney and has lived there since 2009.. When not at sea, Alette spends most of her time outdoors sea swimming, kayaking and snorkelling in the beautifully clear Scottish seas, or trail running, skiing and bird watching. She crossed Iceland self-supported on foot, and loves hiking and wild camping. Passionate about nature, she volunteers with the RSPB but has never yet seen a penguin in the wild. Alette will be joining the Port Lockroy team this year as a reserve.

Work for us Join the UKAHT team

We have small dedicated teams in Antarctica and the UK who work hard to keep our operation going, preserving our Antarctic heritage and sharing it with the world. Each year we recruit a team to run and manage Port Lockroy in Antarctica and occasionally also have vacancies for other specialist roles in the UK. Job vacancies are advertised on this website and on social media. Check out our jobs page for up-to-date vacancies. We politely ask that you keep an eye on these pages for any updates rather than contact us directly.

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Strategy and Annual Report

Here you can find our 2020 - 2030 strategy and most recent annual report.

Strategy 2020 - 2030 Annual Report 2021 - 2022 Annual Report 2020 - 2021 Annual Report 2019 - 2020

Our Supporters

We work very closely with our three main stakeholders British Antarctic Survey, International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to ensure our strategies will ensure the best possible future for the historic sites in our care.

Become a member Support our work

By becoming a member you help us to carry out critical conservation work in Antarctica, run the museum and ‘Penguin Post Office’ at Port Lockroy, and deliver our UK-wide engagement programme of exhibitions, events and talks to inspire more people about the history of this incredible continent.

Join us as a member

Become a member Support our work

By becoming a member you help us to carry out critical conservation work in Antarctica, run the museum and ‘Penguin Post Office’ at Port Lockroy, and deliver our UK-wide engagement programme of exhibitions, events and talks to inspire more people about the history of this incredible continent.

Join us as a member